A fishing float normally consists of a buoyant body member attachable to a fishing line at any desired distance from the hook and lure attached to the end of the line, and operable as it floats at the water surface to support the hook and lure at any distance below the surface at which it may be desired to fish. The float may be attached to any point of the line for this purpose, by means of a clamp device incorporated in the float body itself. Typically the fishing float is configured to be used during the day.
The line clamps in the most common use at the present time usually incorporate a wire projecting from the lure body and having its outer end bent to form a re-entrant hook, and a plunger encircling the wire and spring biased outwardly to enclose both reaches of the wire hook. When the plunger is refracted inwardly by manual force, the end of the shorter reach of the hook is exposed so that a fishing line may be introduced laterally into the hook, so that when the plunger is released, the line is clamped between the plunger and the closed end of the hook. Certain shortcomings and disadvantages have become apparent in clamps of this type. Most importantly, they have a pronounced tendency to slide or slip along the fishing line, so that their pre-arranged spacing from the hook and lure at the end of the line does not remain constant. This tendency arises from the facts that such “wire-hook” clamps engage the line at only one point, and that the monofilament nylon strands commonly used for fishing lines are very hard and smooth, so that it is difficult to clamp them with enough force and tightness to preclude slipping. The difficulty is further aggravated by the fact that nylon has a “self-lubricating” characteristic, which further increases the tendency to slip. The “wire-hook” clamps also are often relatively expensive to manufacture, and require a not insignificant degree of manual dexterity to operate.
Other line clamps securely clamp the line to the fishing float so that the line cannot slip even if desired.
Further, the typical fishing floats do not include a light for fishing at night and to attract fish.